Ancient Religions & Mythology, NER-PHO
What did our ancestors believe in? What myths and stories did they use to explain the world around them and find meaning in it? How have their beliefs influenced modern religion and spirituality? Explore these questions and more while discovering notable traditions, figures, and legends that figured prominently in ancient religion and mythology.
Ancient Religions & Mythology Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Nerthus, ancient Germanic goddess known from a report of her given by the Roman historian Tacitus, who in his Germania......
Nestor, in Greek legend, son of Neleus, king of Pylos (Navarino) in Elis, and of Chloris. All of his brothers were......
Neuserre, sixth king of the 5th dynasty (c. 2465–c. 2325 bc) of Egypt; he is primarily known for his temple to......
New Fire Ceremony, in Aztec religion, ritual celebrated every 52 years when the 260-day ritual and 365-day civil......
Ni-ō, in Japanese Buddhist mythology, protector of the Buddhist faith, who makes a dual appearance as the guardian......
Niflheim, in Norse mythology, the cold, dark, misty world of the dead, ruled by the goddess Hel. In some accounts......
Nihon shoki, (Japanese: “Chronicles of Japan”), text that, together with the Kojiki (q.v.), comprises the oldest......
Nike, in ancient Greek religion, the goddess of victory, daughter of the giant Pallas and of the infernal River......
Ninazu, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, the city god of Enegir, which was located on the Euphrates River......
Ningishzida, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city god of Gishbanda, near Ur in the southern orchard region.......
Ninhar, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city god of Kiabrig, near Ur in the southern herding region.......
Ninhursag, in Mesopotamian religion, city goddess of Adab and of Kish in the northern herding regions; she was......
Ninigi, Japanese deity, grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu. Ninigi’s supposed descent to earth established the......
Ninlil, Mesopotamian goddess, the consort of the god Enlil and a deity of destiny. She was worshiped especially......
Ninsun, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city goddess of Kullab in the southern herding region. As Ninsun’s......
Ninurta, in Mesopotamian religion, city god of Girsu (Ṭalʿah, or Telloh) in the Lagash region. Ninurta was originally......
Ninus, in Greek mythology, king of Assyria and the eponymous founder of the city of Nineveh, which itself is sometimes......
Niobe, in Greek mythology, the daughter of Tantalus (king of Sipylus in Lydia) and the wife of King Amphion of......
Nissaba, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumerian deity, city goddess of Eresh on the ancient Euphrates River near Uruk......
Nisus, in Greek mythology, king of Megara, a son of King Pandion of Athens. His name was given to the Megarian......
nix, in Germanic mythology, a water being, half human, half fish, that lives in a beautiful underwater palace and......
Njǫrd, in Norse mythology, the god of the wind and of the sea and its riches. His aid was invoked in seafaring......
noaidi, in Sami religion, a shaman who mediates between the people he serves and the supernatural beings and forces......
Norn, in Germanic mythology, any of a group of supernatural beings who corresponded to the Greek Moirai; they were......
Norske folkeeventyr, (1841–44; Eng. trans. Norwegian Folktales), collections of folktales and legends, by Peter......
Nu Gua, in Chinese mythology, the patroness of matchmakers. As wife or sister of the legendary emperor Fu Xi, she......
Nuadu, in Celtic mythology, king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who lost his hand in the battle of Mag Tuired and with......
Nun, oldest of the ancient Egyptian gods and father of Re, the sun god. Nun’s name means “primeval waters,” and......
Nusku, in Mesopotamian religion, Sumero-Akkadian god of light and fire. His father was Sin (Sumerian: Nanna), the......
Nut, in Egyptian religion, a goddess of the sky, vault of the heavens, often depicted as a woman arched over the......
nymph, in Greek mythology, any of a large class of inferior female divinities. The nymphs were usually associated......
Nyx, in Greek mythology, female personification of night but also a great cosmogonical figure, feared even by Zeus,......
Oannes, in Mesopotamian mythology, an amphibious being who taught mankind wisdom. Oannes, as described by the Babylonian......
Oberon, king of the elves, or of the “faerie,” in the French medieval poem Huon de Bordeaux. In this poem Oberon......
obia, in west African folklore, a gigantic animal that steals into villages and kidnaps girls on the behalf of......
Oceanus, in Greek mythology, the river that flowed around the Earth (conceived as flat), for example, in the shield......
Odin, one of the principal gods in Norse mythology. His exact nature and role, however, are difficult to determine......
Odysseus, hero of Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey and one of the most frequently portrayed figures in Western literature.......
Odyssey, epic poem in 24 books traditionally attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer. The poem is the story......
Oedipus, in Greek mythology, the king of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father, Laius, and married his mother.......
Oeneus, in Greek legend, king of Calydon in Aetolia, husband of Althaea, and father of Meleager, Deianeira, and......
Oenone, in Greek mythology, a fountain nymph of Mount Ida, the daughter of the River Cebren, and the beloved of......
Ogier The Dane, an important character in the French medieval epic poems called chansons de geste. His story is......
Ogma, ancient Irish god portrayed as a swarthy man whose battle ardor was so great that he had to be chained and......
Ogmios, Celtic god of Gaul identified with the Roman Hercules. He was portrayed as an old man with swarthy skin......
ogre, a hideous giant represented in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings. The word gained popularity......
Okhwangsangje, deity of the Korean religion known as Poch’ŏngyo...
Olympia, ruined ancient sanctuary, home of the ancient Olympic Games, and former site of the massive Statue of......
Mount Olympus, mountain peak, the highest (9,570 feet [2,917 metres]) in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif......
Ometecuhtli, Aztec deity, “Lord of the Duality” or Lord of Life, who represented one aspect of the cosmic duality......
Opet, ancient Egyptian festival of the second month of the lunar calendar. In the celebration of Opet, the god......
Ops, Roman goddess (originally perhaps of the Earth’s fertility) with an ancient shrine in the Regia, the office......
orc, a mythical creature (such as a sea monster, a giant, or an ogre) of horrid form or aspect. The word orc in......
Orestes, in Greek mythology, son of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae (or Argos), and his wife, Clytemnestra. According......
Orion, in Greek mythology, a giant and very handsome hunter who was identified as early as Homer (Iliad, Book XVIII)......
Orpheus, in Greek mythology, legendary hero endowed with superhuman musical skills. He became the patron of a religious......
Orphic religion, a Hellenistic mystery religion, thought to have been based on the teachings and songs of the legendary......
Oshun, an orisha (deity) of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. Oshun is commonly called the river orisha,......
Osiris, one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt. The origin of Osiris is obscure; he was a local god of......
Ossian, the Irish warrior-poet of the Fenian cycle of hero tales about Finn MacCumhaill (MacCool) and his war band,......
Ouroboros, emblematic serpent of ancient Egypt and Greece represented with its tail in its mouth, continually devouring......
Pachacamac, creator deity worshipped by the pre-Inca maritime population of Peru; it was also the name of a pilgrimage......
Pachacamac, large pre-Columbian ruin located in the Lurin Valley on the central coast of present-day Peru. The......
paean, solemn choral lyric of invocation, joy, or triumph, originating in ancient Greece, where it was addressed......
Palamedes, in Greek legend, the son of Nauplius (king of Euboea) and Clymene and a hero of the Trojan War. Palamedes......
Palici, ancient pair of local Sicilian gods who presided over the twin geysers still called Lago dei Palici, near......
Palladium, in Greek religion, image of the goddess Pallas (Athena), especially the archaic wooden statue of the......
Pan, in Greek mythology, a fertility deity, more or less bestial in form. He was associated by the Romans with......
Pan Gu, central figure in Chinese Daoist legends of creation. Pan Gu, the first man, is said to have come forth......
Panathenaea, in Greek religion, an annual Athenian festival of great antiquity and importance. It was eventually......
Pandarus, in Greek legend, son of Lycaon, a Lycian. In Homer’s Iliad, Book IV, Pandarus breaks the truce between......
Pandora, in Greek mythology, the first woman. According to Hesiod’s Theogony, after Prometheus, a fire god and......
panegyris, in Greek religion, an ancient assembly that met on certain fixed dates for the purpose of honouring......
pantao, in Chinese Daoist mythology, the peach of immortality that grew in the garden of Xiwangmu (“Queen Mother......
papyrus column, in Egyptian religion, amulet that conveyed freshness, youth, vigour, and the continuance of life......
Parentalia, Roman religious festival held in honour of the dead. The festival, which began at noon on February......
Parilia, ancient Roman festival celebrated annually on April 21 in honour of the god and goddess Pales, the protectors......
Paris, in Greek legend, son of King Priam of Troy and his wife, Hecuba. A dream regarding his birth was interpreted......
Parnashavari, in Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism, a goddess distinguished by the girdle of leaves she wears. She......
Parthenon, temple that dominates the hill of the Acropolis at Athens. It was built in the mid-5th century bce and......
Parvati, wife of the Hindu god Shiva. Parvati is a benevolent goddess. Born the daughter of a mountain called Himalaya,......
Pax, in Roman religion, personification of peace, probably recognized as a deity for the first time by the emperor......
Pazuzu, in Mesopotamian religion, the king of wind demons, son of Hanpa and brother of Humbaba (Huwawa). Adherents......
Pegasus, in Greek mythology, a winged horse that sprang from the blood of the Gorgon Medusa as she was beheaded......
Peko, in Estonian religion, an agricultural deity who aided the growth of grain, especially barley. Peko was represented......
Peleus, in Greek mythology, king of the Myrmidons of Thessaly; he was most famous as the husband of Thetis (a sea......
Pelias, in Greek mythology, a king of Iolcos in Thessaly who imposed on his half-nephew Jason the task of bearing......
Pelops, legendary founder of the Pelopid dynasty at Mycenae in the Greek Peloponnese, which was probably named......
Penelope, in Greek mythology, a daughter of Icarius of Sparta and the nymph Periboea and wife of the hero Odysseus.......
Penthesilea, in Greek mythology, a queen of the Amazons, well respected for her bravery, her skill in weapons,......
Charles Perrault was a French poet, prose writer, and storyteller, a leading member of the Académie Française,......
Persephone, in Greek religion, daughter of Zeus, the chief god, and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture; she was......
Perseus, in Greek mythology, the slayer of the Gorgon Medusa and the rescuer of Andromeda from a sea monster. Perseus......
Perun, the thunder god of the ancient pagan Slavs, a fructifier, purifier, and overseer of right and order. His......
Phaethon, in Greek mythology, the son of Helios, the sun god, and a woman or nymph variously identified as Clymene,......
pharmākos, in Greek religion, a human scapegoat used in certain state rituals. In Athens, for example, a man and......
Pherecydes of Syros was a Greek mythographer and cosmogonist traditionally associated with the Seven Wise Men of......
Philoctetes, Greek legendary hero who played a decisive part in the final stages of the Trojan War. He (or his......
Phocus, in Greek mythology, the son of Aeacus, king of Aegina, and the Nereid Psamathe, who had assumed the likeness......
Phoebe, in Greek mythology, a Titan, daughter of Uranus (Sky) and Gaea (Earth). By the Titan Coeus she was the......